Sanding and refinishing a hardwood floor is actually very simple and inexpensive if you know what you are doing. Sanding a hardwood floor will help to prepare it for painting and can lengthen the life of your floor by preventing it from cracking and drying out. There are two ways that you can do sanding and refinishing. You can do it yourself or hire a professional to do it for you. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages, so it’s really a matter of preference as to which you choose.
If you choose to do your own sanding and refinishing, the easiest way is with a dustless sander. This kind of sander produces less dust than other models, so it’s great for people who have allergies or are prone to dust allergies. Dust-free sanding and refinishing hardwood flooring is also when a professional removes all visible sawdust by hand before starting work on it. However, if there are any visible sawdust left after sanding, they will be visible in the finished floor when the sander is done. So, be sure to tell your sander cleaner to keep the saw dustless during sanding and refinishing.
Another great dustless sanding and refinishing option are with an electrostatic sander. These sander produce no dust, so there is no visible dust or residue to be cleaned up. Because they don’t use mechanical percussion like the others, this sander’s movement is totally passive. Electrostatic Sanders are popular with people who have small children and are constantly in contact with moisture, because the sander eliminates all risk from the possibility of a child slipping or falling onto the hardwood floors.
You should be aware that although electrostatic sanders eliminate dust in most cases, they still produce tiny amounts of residual dust which are visible. This residual dust can be seen when you look at the monitor when it’s time to polish or sand your hardwood floor, or if you use an air blower to blow the dust away. In addition, you may experience some micro-scratches in your wood flooring after using an electrostatic sander. Also be aware that in most cases, you won’t see any difference between electrostatic and dust-free sanding hardwood floors. Some homeowners do notice a small difference, but the difference is extremely minor, usually not enough to worry about.
So, what can you do to maintain and care for your hardwood floors? The best way to prevent dust from being blown around is to apply a dustless wood floor treatment. Dust-less treatments are becoming more popular due to their low cost and their effectiveness. Dustless treatments consist of a non-skid urethane layer which protects the wood surface and keeps it protected from dust and other debris. You can find many different types of dustless urethane treatments on the market today, including wood finish urethanes, oil-rubbed urethane, as well as ceramic and urethane resins.
Another way to avoid dust is to periodically back-tune your sander. Most homeowners don’t realize that the sound of the sander makes as it sands the floor could be quite loud. It’s important to listen for this noise and take steps to make sure that your sander isn’t producing this noise. Also, don’t sand too long between sanding. Setting the sanding length at 30 seconds or less, will help ensure that your hardwood refinishing job will be as smooth as possible. For more info on floor restoration visit www.denverflooringcompany.com.